Floating Wading Aid

ABSTRACT

A floating wading aid provides stability and support to a wader walking between pontoons at about the center of buoyancy of those pontoons, with suitable frame structure provided. The pontoons may be fillable with air or floating objects, and a movable platform may be provided.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention is a floating device intended to aid a wader inmaintaining stability and balance while wading, especially in areas withuneven or muddy bottoms. The floating wading aid also provides a meansof transporting gear and other items while wading. In particular, thefloating wading aid makes it much easier for a person wading to lift hisor her feet out of the mud while applying downward force to the handlesof the floating wading aid. Prior art floatation devices include aU-shaped rigid pontoon (see U.S. Pat. No. 8,292,683 to Axtell) andconfigurations that fully enclose a wader within a rigid structure (seeU.S. Pat. No. 6,843,695 to Jackson). Prior art double pontoon boatsexist for use by a person sitting in a seat anchored well above thepontoons using oars to maneuver the boat and are not designed for use bya wader. No prior art devices provide the usability and portability ofthis invention.

This floating wading aid: (1) is easily maneuverable by a person wadingbetween the pontoons or within the U-shaped pontoon while grasping thewading aid (using handles on the pontoons or frame) at about the “centerof buoyancy” of the pontoons (the “wading position”); (2) permits awader to enter into the wading position without climbing over portionsof the pontoons or framing; and (3) is convenient to transport andstore. Other desirable features would include a platform to hold itemsbeing transported and/or a seat that would be located at approximatelythe center of buoyancy but could be moved forward to allow a person towade in the wading position without obstruction, with the seat allowinga user to sit with a low profile with his or her weight supported inwhole or in part by the pontoons. Particularly in a hunting situation,it is desirable that the user's profile remains as low as possible andthe position of the platform as a seat should be as low as possible, ator slightly above or below water level.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This floating wading aid includes one or more flotation units (referredto as pontoons). A preferred configuration of the invention is referredto as a double pontoon configuration, with two pontoons parallel to eachother. Another configuration is a single U-shaped pontoon. The waderwould either walk between the double pontoons or within the U-shapedpontoon with the floating wading aid providing significantly improvedstability.

For purposes of this invention the pontoons have a center of buoyancy(sometimes called a center of floatation) measured front to back at thelocation marked as C/B in FIG. 1. Center of buoyancy is a well-knownconcept, and refers to the point where the buoyant force, or the upwardforce, caused by hydrostatic pressure (resulting from the displacedwater) acts on the pontoons. In the case of the present invention, awader wading between the pontoons would apply downward force on thehandles of the pontoons. If those handles are located at about thecenter of the center of buoyancy, the floating wading aid would remainsubstantially horizontal as a wader applies force against the handles.In the context of this invention is not necessary that the floatingwading aid remained exactly horizontal, and as used in this description,center of buoyancy does not mean an exact point, but a range of distance(ideally comprising less than 20% of the total pontoon length) at aboutthe point that represents the center of buoyancy.

In a preferred embodiment of this invention the pontoons to not havefixed rigidity but in one state are flexible and capable of beingenlarged to a more rigid shape that will effectively displace water. Forpurposes of this description, this type of flexible structure isreferred to as a “fillable sleeve.” In one embodiment the fillablesleeve is an inflatable pontoon that, when filled with air, provides asuitable shape for displacing water. In another embodiment the fillablesleeve includes pockets or divided spaces that may be filled with morerigid floating objects to create the rigidity to provide suitable waterdisplacement. In many duck hunting situations, the wader is likely to betransporting duck decoys and those decoys would constitute suitablerigid floating objects for placement in the fillable sleeve to providerigidity and water displacement capability. The fillable sleeve may bemade of canvas, nylon, or another fabric or other flexible and waterresistant material and may include a separate inflatable rubber bladder.For convenience, a reference to “fillable sleeve” refers to both thesleeve and any inner bladder, if applicable. The fillable sleevepontoons, whether air inflatable or configured to be filled with objectslike duck decoys, make this floating wading aid easy to transport andstore.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a top view of one configuration of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a top view of another configuration of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of a configuration of the invention.

FIG. 4 shows a frame configuration for the invention with pontoonsomitted.

FIG. 5 shows a side view of a configuration of the invention withfillable sleeve pontoons filled with duck decoys.

FIG. 6 shows an end view of a configuration of the invention withfillable sleeve pontoons filled with duck decoys.

FIG. 7 shows a side view of another configuration of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention comprises pontoons—either two pontoons 2, 4 as shown inFIG. 1 or a single U-shaped pontoon 3, as shown in FIG. 2. For purposesof this description and for convenience, “pontoons” refer to either orboth of the double pontoons 2, 4 or the single U-shaped pontoon 3. Theterm “U-shaped” means a pontoon with portions at the front and on bothsides of the wader, with the front portion being flat, rounded or even apoint (in which case the U is more of a V). The pontoons have a forwardand a rearward end (as seen by a forward facing wader in the wadingposition), with a center of buoyancy (C/B) between the forward andrearward ends. As shown in FIG. 1, a frame 6 is supported by thepontoons 2, 4 and provides rigidity to keep the pontoons properly spacedwhen in use. The frame may contact the pontoons on their upper surface,with the buoyancy of the pontoons applied at the upper surface of thepontoon against the frame. Alternatively, the frame may be in contactwith the lower surface of the pontoons. The frame should have theminimum amount of structure necessary to maintain the pontoons inposition and support the other elements of this invention. No portion ofthe frame should interfere with a wader standing between the pontoons inwading position and no portion of the frame should obstruct a wader frommoving into wading position between the pontoons.

A platform 10 may be provided that in at least one position is forwardof the center of buoyancy and is supported either directly by thepontoons or by portions of the frame (and in in turn supported by thepontoons). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the platform may be rotatable froma position forward of the center of buoyancy to a position substantiallyat the center of buoyancy. In the forward position, the platform isabove water level, ideally at about the level of the top of thepontoons, and forward of the center of buoyancy and out of the way of awalking wader in wading position. In the rearward position, the platformmay be at the same level as in the forward position (see FIG. 3), oralternatively be below that level, at or slightly below water level (asshown in FIG. 7). Alternate confirmations for a platform could include aplatform that slides forward and back to the positions described. Aplatform is not necessary to use the present invention and the platformcould be fully removable. The platform 10 could be a rectangular basketwith four low walls, or a flat surface with one, two, three or no walls.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a hinge 8 allows the platform to rotate onan axis perpendicular to the pontoons, at a location forward of thecenter of buoyancy. A preferred configuration for this hinge 8 is acylindrical hinge rod attached to the frame 6 at each end.

In operation, a wader would rotate the platform to the forward positionas shown in FIG. 1, step between the pontoons, grasp handles 20incorporated in or attached to the pontoons or handle portions 22incorporated in the frame 6 (See FIG. 5), and wade to the desiredlocation. Once in the desired location, the platform could be rotated tothe rearward position and the user could sit on the platform. Ideallythe rearward position would put a user's weight at about the center ofbuoyancy of the pontoons.

For clarity, most of the figures do not include frame detail. As shownin FIG. 3, the platform 10 rests on the pontoons 2, 4 or, alternatively,on portions of the frame 6 structure with the load ultimately exerted onthe upper portion of the pontoons. As shown in FIG. 2, in the forwardposition of a single U-shaped pontoon configuration the platform wouldrest on the pontoon 3 or alternatively on the frame 6. Appropriateplatform structure and frame structure, and the alignment of theplatform with the frame structure to provide the different platformlevels, is well known to one skilled in the art. FIG. 4 provides anillustration of a possible frame configuration with the pontoons removedfor clarity.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show the configuration in which the fillable sleeve isconfigured to be filled with rigid objects, such as duck decoys.Individual decoy pockets may be created with dividers 18 and straps19—ideally with the latter having Velcro closures—to hold the decoys inposition. In this configuration preferably the frame 6 is below thepontoon and is attached to the floating pontoons 2, 4 by support straps9 on the lower surface of the pontoons (under water when in use) thatpermit removal of the fillable sleeve from the frame. In thisconfiguration the frame is supported by the support straps 9 as thebuoyancy of the pontoon exerts upward force by virtue of those straps.FIGS. 5 and 6 also show a configuration in which the handle portions 22of the frame 6 are extendable at junction 16 in a manner well known inthe art to facilitate wading in different depths of water. In thedecoy-filled configuration handles 22 incorporated in the frame as shownin FIGS. 5 and 6 are preferable to handles Incorporated on the uppersurface of the pontoons.

As shown in FIG. 7, it is also desirable to include a second platform 14mounted in the forward position with the rotating platform 10 in itsforward position on top of the second platform 14. When the rotatingplatform 10 is rotated to the rearward position, the second platformremains in the forward position and may be used for gear storage or as aplace for a dog to sit (out of the water and behind a user sitting onthe platform in the rearward position). The platform 10 in the rearwardposition could also serve as a ramp for a dog to use to climb onto thesecond platform. The second platform 14 is especially desirable for asingle U shaped pontoon configuration where the center of buoyancy isforward of the typical center of buoyancy for a similarly sized doublepontoon configuration.

Other pontoon configurations could be utilized, such as a four pontoonconfiguration with two sets of two pontoons, all parallel to each other.The single U-shaped pontoon could be replaced with three pontoons, or 2pontoons could be used in a V configuration. The location of the frameon the pontoons could be adjusted to accommodate a situation where asignificant load (like a dog's weight) is expected on the secondplatform, so that the weight distribution across the pontoons wouldcause the pontoons to be level (front to back).

I claim:
 1. A floating wading aid comprising two pontoons each having aforward end, a rearward end, and a center of buoyancy between said endsand a frame attachable to the pontoons maintaining the spacing of thepontoons but not interfering with the movement of a wader between thepontoons at said center of buoyancy.
 2. The floating wading aid of claim1 wherein said pontoons are fillable sleeves.
 3. The floating wading aidof claim 2 wherein said fillable sleeve pontoons are configured tocontain multiple floating decoys.
 4. The floating wading aid of claim 2wherein said fillable sleeve pontoons are configured to be filled withair.
 5. The floating wading aid of claim 1 further comprising a platformextending between said pontoons and in one position forward of thecenter of buoyancy.
 6. The floating wading aid of claim 3 furthercomprising support straps on the bottom of said pontoons for receivingportions of said frame.
 7. The floating wading aid of claim 5 with saidplatform rotatable from said position forward of the center of buoyancyto a position substantially at said center of buoyancy.
 8. The floatingwading aid of claim 1 further comprising handles on said pontoonssubstantially at said center of buoyancy.
 9. The floating wading aid ofclaim 1 further comprising frame portions substantially at said centerof buoyancy serving as handles.
 10. The floating wading aid of claim 7further comprising a second platform in a fixed position forward of saidcenter of buoyancy.
 11. A floating wading aid comprising a U-shapedpontoon comprising a fillable sleeve and having a forward end at thefront portion of the U-shaped pontoon, a rearward end, and a center ofbuoyancy between said ends and a frame attachable to the pontoon notinterfering with the movement of a wader at said center of buoyancy. 12.The floating wading aid of claim 11 wherein said fillable sleeve pontoonis configured to contain multiple floating decoys.
 13. The floatingwading aid of claim 11 wherein said fillable sleeve pontoon isconfigured to be filled with air.
 14. The floating wading aid of claim11 further comprising a platform in one position extending over saidpontoon forward of said center of buoyancy.
 15. The floating wading aidof claim 11 further comprising support straps on the bottom of saidpontoon for receiving portions of said frame.
 16. The floating wadingaid of claim 14 with said platform rotatable from said position forwardof the center of buoyancy to a position substantially at said center ofbuoyancy.
 17. The floating wading aid of claim 11 further comprisinghandles on said pontoon substantially at said center of buoyancy. 18.The floating wading aid of claim 11 further comprising frame portions atsaid center of buoyancy serving as handles.
 19. The floating wading aidof claim 16 further comprising a second platform in a fixed positionforward of said center of buoyancy.